good morning. breaking news. snow falling in new york city this morning as what's expected to be an historic blizzard just starts to bear down on the northeast. the entire region at a standstill. al is tracking it all from the city that could be hardest hit, boston. a killer still on the loose in california this morning, police going door to door overnight, searching for a fo formfor former l.a. police officer. and hacked. word this morning that someone managed to break into the personal e-mail accounts of members of the bush family, revealing private messages involving both former

presidents. and a criminal investigation is under way "today," friday, february 8th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guttihrie. people around here are bracing themselves, snow already starting to fall in new york city. we're seeing a little bit of it in the west village this morning in downtown new york. two very powerful systems creating this blizzard are just beginning to come together this morning. in just a few hours, we'll be dealing with heavy snow, high winds and whiteout conditions. >> take a look at some of the totals we're talking about. they've actually increased for some cities overnight around a foot of snow here in new york city. much more in places like connecticut, rhode island, and

massachusetts. we're covering this storm from all the angles this morning, starting with al roker and he's in boston. boy, the folks up there are getting ready, al. good morning. >> good morning, matt. yeah, they absolutely are. and this is a powerful storm. it will probably rank as one of boston's top five storms before it's all over. schools are already closed. flights, airports being canceled. thousands of flights. we're talking amtrak canceling trains this afternoon between new york and boston. let's take a look, show you what's the ingredients for this system getting itself together. we've got a clipper coming across the great lakes. we've also got a storm system across the east coast. both are going to come on a collision course, energy from the clipper will transfer to this low pressure system offshore, creating a classic nor'easter. so as you can see, as we get into the morning hours, the snow starts to really pick up from new york city to the north, inland sections of new york

state, new england, making its way up the coast through saturday morning and those lines in between, you see those are isobars. the tighter those lines, the more the winds we see. as far as winter storm warnings, blizzard warnings, everything you can see from michigan all the way to upstate new york. we've got winter storm warnings, but closer along the coast from new york, boston, up to portland. we have blizzard warnings in effect. sustained winds of over 35 miles per hour with heavy snow, creating low visibility and dangerous conditions. as far as accumulations are concerned, we're generally looking from anywhere to three to six inches of snow. new york city to up to a foot of snow, back through the great lakes as well. but look along from providence all the way up to east port. we're talking one to two feet of snow and in eastern massachusetts, one to two feet possibly and very likely we're talking about three feet of snow to the west of boston.

boston will most likely see somewhere around two feet of snow. as you look right now along the west side of manhattan, the snow coming down, they have 1,800 sanitation trucks ready with snow plows on them. they expect to spread 250,000 tons of salt at some point during this. so, we are really looking at a severe situation. savannah? >> crews get ready all across the northeast this morning. people are making sure they are prepared for what's to come and time is almost up. ron mott is in providence, rhode island this morning. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. we're going to start with flurries here. that will, later in the day, give way to bucket loads of snow. at that point it's going to be too late to start getting ready. folks here in new england take pride for always being ready in storms like this. across new england it's time to pay up. a rush to fortify and hunker down on the home front, after

last year's unusually quiet winter. the classic nor'easter has returned with a vengeance. >> salt, shovel. >> reporter: millions will need all that and more, forecasters say, from hartford to points north, south, east and west. they stocked up in new york city. >> i'm preparing now for the snow with the ice. >> not mesing around? >> not messing around at all. >> reporter: connecticut. >> some milk and other odds and ends that i need for the weekend just in case i can't get out to the store. >> reporter: around philadelphia -- >> ice melt, rock salt, calcium chloride. no sleds yet. >> reporter: and boston, where a run on snowblowers emptied one store, leaving the mayor to warn fill up on common sense, too. >> we're used to these types of storms. i also want to remind everyone to use common sense. stay off the streets of our city. >> reporter: at noon, a parking ban goes into effect in boston

and the governor has order ed nonemergency state employees to work from home. those trying to get out of dodge by air may be grounded for a while as thousands of flights have been canceled throughout the region. >> we normally handle about 100,000 per day. we think there will be close to that number affected in a 24-hour period. >> reporter: not since the blizzard of '78, deadly dumping of at least three feet of snow has new england braced this hard for a storm to rival that one. >> i just felt the spirit of his taea hysteria come over me. flashlights and batteries. not so much candles. if we have widespread power outages, as we fear, the last thing official want to see is widespread fires. savannah? >> actually, ron, i'm going to take it. as ron just mentioned, thousands of flights into and out of this region have been canceled. erica hill is at laguardia

airport. erica, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. we are just starting to see those flakes here as well, large flakes that we can see outside the door in front of me. as you mentioned, thousands of flights canceled. three major airports in new york alone. boston into the mix and you really get a sense of how many people are affected. those flights carry people all over the country. we're looking at some of the numbers now. newark liberty airport, 275 flights canceled, here at laguardia, 219, another 163 at jfk and 140 in boston. more than 2,400 flights nationwide. as we take a look at the numbers in terms of cancellations, most have said that rechange fees, booking fees in many cases may be waived for you. check with your airline on that. that's the upside for you. i flew back from boston last night into new york and the lines -- everybody in the line was talking about whether or not they had tried to find their way on to a flight to get home

sooner. the security line behind me actually wrapped around the wall and goes down the hallway. a woman i spoke with, who was directing everybody, said this is definitely more volume than they would normally see on a friday morning. that's because a number of people are trying to check in early. if you are headed for the airport, check with your airline first. check on your flight. we may recommend twitter. it tends to get you a lot of traction these days. savannah? >> it's going to be a busy one there. erica, thank you. we'll have a lot more on this storm throughout the morning. now to another major story we're following this hour, a manhunt under way right now for a former police officer accused of murdering three people. authorities say he was fired and now is targeting officers and their families. the search is focusing now on a ski resort community east of los angeles. we have two reports to bring you, starting with nbc's miguel almaguer. good morning, miguel. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. lapd headquarters remains a

target. today it is a fortress with the entrances and exits heavily guarded, all this while a hunt for a man who used to wear a badge. scouring big bear mountain three hours outside los angeles. this is where police discovered christopher dorner's burnt-out truck, the man at the center of a massive manhunt. >> we don't know what he's going to do. we know what he's capable of doing. and we need to find him. >> reporter: heavily armed and extremely dangerous, police say dorner, former lapd officer, navy reservist and sharpshooter, has already killed three and is targeting many more. >> of course he knows what he's doing. we trained him. >> reporter: four years ago, dorner accused a fellow officer of kicking a suspect in the head but it was dorner who was fired for making false statements in the case. they say he is now targeting officers he names in this chilling manifesto, published

online. you will now live the life of the prey. i never had the opportunity to have a family of my own. i'm terminating yours. police say the revenge killings began sunday when monica quan and keith lawrence were shot to death. quan's father was the police captain who represented dorner in his disciplinary hearing. >> this has gone far enough. nobody else needs to die. >> reporter: on wednesday, detectives say dorner tried to steal a boat near san diego. a badge, his i.d. and wallet found in the area. thursday morning at 1:25 am, two lapd officers assigned to protect a person in the manifesto came under fire. >> officer shot multiple times. >> reporter: a short time later a gunman opened fire on two riverside police officers, one killed, the other critical. >> our officers were stopped at an intersection, at a red light when they were ambushed. >> reporter: with nerves rattled, police later opened fire on a truck thought to be

dorner's. two women delivering newspapers were shot and injured. late thursday, police discovered dorner's burnt-out truck on big bear mountain. s.w.a.t. teams cleared cabins, but no sign of a suspect. today, police still hunting an alleged cop killer who used to be one of their own. in the mountains outside of los angeles where dorner's vehicle was discovered, police say they discovered footprints but are quick to add that does not mean he's in the area. one reason why tensions are so high all across this state. matt? >> miguel almaguer on this story. thanks so much. let's get to more on this manifesto, warning of these attacks. diana alvear is in los angeles with more on this story. >> reporter: in the manifesto posted on dorner's facebook page, he details everything, from the reasons he believes he was terminated, to corruption in the police force, even shoutouts

to celebrities. and he says, quote, you have awoken a sleeping giant. how did christopher jordan dorner, former police officer, navy veteran and college football player become the most wanted man in california? the manifesto that appeared on his facebook page with the heading last resort, the former lapd officer blames the department for his actions. i've lost everything because the lapd took my name and new i was innocent. he claims he was fired as ret retaliati retaliation, claiming an officer kicked this man while in custody. >> it is not going to happen. >> reporter: officers uttered racist remarks and laughed about grisly crime photos, all kept secret. the enemy combatants in l.a. are not the citizens and suspects. that's the police officers. he named several members of law

enforcement calling them, quote, high value targets. i never had the opportunity to have a family of my own. i'm terminating yours. police say he has already carried out that threat by murdering monica quan, daughter of former lapd captain randall quan, who represented dorner at the time. the attacks will stop when the department states the truth about my innocence, publicly, he writes. dorner also thanked several colleagues and friends for their support. among them a stunned melinda yates. >> who i know of him is an amazing person, somebody that i would trust with my life. so, it just -- crazy. >> reporter: justin gombo went to naval officer school with dorner. >> very nice, positive, upbeat. he always had a smile on his face. you never heard him say a bad thing about anyone. >> reporter: he peppers his rant with random statements.

defending president obama from racist attacks and even complementing michelle obama's hair but he always comes back to the lapd, demanding what he calls justice. unfortunately, i will not be alive to see my name cleared. that's what this is about, my name. a man is nothing without his name. >> police say they've ordered protection detail for more than 40 people named in the manifesto, which is both chilling and surreal. beyond lapd and politics he declares his admiration for a lau laundry list of celebrities and public figures. >> diana, thank you very much. natalie morales is over at the news desk with the other top stories we're following this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah and matt. a hacker was able to expose conversations found in the bush family's e-mail accounts. pete williams has the latest from washington, d.c. pete, good morning. >> natalie, a spokesman for former president george h.w.

bush confirms an investigation has been under way into what appears to be a hacker's intrusion into the e-mail accounts of at least half a dozen people. among the material intercepted, messages from and to both former bush presidents. apparently obtained by getting access to the accounts of three bush family members and two friends of the former presidents. the hacker has obtained a list of family addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, including some of those belonging to both the former presidents along with family pictures. the material intercepted dates from 2009 through last year and federal investigators say they're on the trail of the hacker. e-mail is one of the least secure ways to communicate and it is a very common target of hackers, natalie. >> absolutely. pete williams in washington, thanks so much. tough questions for cia director nominee john brennan. nbc's capital hill correspondent kelly o'donnell has more. good morning, kelly. >> good morning, natalie. some of the country's deepest secrets were part of the intense

hearings, grilling top officials over benghazi attacks and those drone strikes and that attracted protesters. >> pakistan, somalia. >> reporter: anger over targeted killings. >> please remove -- >> reporter: and senators who say the cia and white house won't give them answers. >> the committee is just stonewalled. >> reporter: john brennan, if confirmed as the next cia director. but struggled to explain if he was involved in waterboarding yet -- >> i did not stop the use of those techniques. >> reporter: he once said those techniques had saved lives but now -- >> waterboarding is something that never should have been employed. >> reporter: senators pressed outgoing leon panetta and dempsey about whether military help was too far away to rescue the slain americans. >> the biggest problem that night, senator, is that nobody really knew what was going on there. >> reporter: and republicans pounced on testimony but after

first informing the president about the attack, neither man heard directly from him as the siege unfolded. >> did the president show any curiosity about how is this going? >> there is no question in my mind the president of the united states was concerned about american lives. >> with all due respect, i don't believe that's a credible statement, if he never called and asked you, are we helping these people or what's happening? >> and on the issue the power the president has on those drone strikes, senators are saying they want to set up a process to oversee that and make sure everything is being done properly. natalie? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you very much. first lady michelle obama is said to attend a funeral for a 15-year-old girl who was shot just days after performing as a majorette at the presidential inauguration. no arrests have been made in the murder. carrying out test flights of

the 787 dreamliners. the planes have been grounded after problems with their batteries. faa is limiting those test flights and no passengers will be allowed on board until the battery problem has been fixed. you're at a restaurant with your family. when the check comes you find a very unusual discount. imagine the king family surprise when they found they had gotten a four dollar discount for having well-behaved children. the restaurant owner said he was impressed that their children said their please and thank yous and were very polite. wonder what they do for badly behaved kids. >> there's a surcharge. >> we should mention in new york, snow falling on rockefeller plaza. i think we have a shot on the west side of manhattan, there's

a running tap there. and you can see it coming down there as well. >> when we talk about new york, is this going to go to rain and then back to snow? what's the deal? >> yeah. there's going to be a little changeover. later this afternoon, it becomes all snow. and we're still talking anywhere from nine inches to a foot of snow in new york city, more as you move north and west. the other problem with this, it's not just snow. it is wind. this is going to be a wind-driven event. that's why there are blizzard warnings. winds will cut down on visibilities. we've got arctic high up to our north and canada. nor'easter coming up the coast. the pressure gradient, the difference between the two areas of pressure, that's those lines. and the tighter those lines, the higher the winds. as that low pressure pulls away -- look at some of these wind -- these are wind gusts from new york city, 43-mile-per-hour wind gusts friday afternoon. and then as we move on through the day, 55-mile-per-hour wind gusts in boston.

nantucket, we're talking hurricane force wind gusts but sustained winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour. and those winds will also be pushing a lot of water onshore along the coastline. we also have coastal flood watches in effect as well. we're going to get to your local forecast in a moment. first this message. ♪ ♪ "love" a collection by prabal gurung, exclusively at target. for a limited time. >> good morning. we are getting the rain right now. new england gets most of the

snow. mostly >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. we'll be seeing a lot of you this morning. coming up, why a man who found a way to live in a mansion for free and found it was all legal is now looking for a new place to call home this morning. we are keeping an eye on this storm all morning long as the snow picks up in the northeast. first this is "today" on nbc.

all right. still ahead, we want your reaction to this. is your relationship normal? a global survey of couples. >> get on today.com and answer

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let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> busy ride, as you might imagine. the roads are wet and that is all we are dealing with, thankfully. the problems we're tracking are the south of the city. another one and medical parkway and jenifer road. we are tracking a crash at the airport near telegraph road. southbound route 1, washington boulevard and 175, an accident. delays in place on the north and west side. 24 on the west side. i-83, york road, running smoothly from the parkton region towards the beltway. >> clouds on the way from b.w.i. marshall. temperatures rise a little bit today and then fall below freezing tonight.

most of this is rain, except the no. 9, pennsylvania. frederick county, carroll county. because it is cold a mixture of precipitation as possible. these are the ones that will get hammered with snow today. 36 to 41 the high today. our seven-day forecast, tomorrow is cold an

7:30 now on this friday morning, february 8th, 2013. snow is starting to fall in new york city as the blizzard of 2013 starts to pick up some steam. we expect about a foot of snow by the time it ends tomorrow in places like boston, other parts of new england. they're going to get a lot, two feet or more. inside studio 1a i'm savannah guthrie along with matt lauer. a man who used a little known law to live rent free in a florida mansion. this morning he's out. we'll have a live report on that. and do you believe in love at first sight? are you satisfied with your sex life? a new global survey is asking

those questions and revealing the secrets of what really makes some couple s truly happy. we want you to log on, take part. we'll reveal the results, anonymously, coming up. first, let's get to the latest on that approaching blizzard. >> aiming squarely at the northeast. let's get to katherine craig from wnbc, our station here in new york city. we can see it starting to come down, katherine. >> reporter: yes, from the west village here in manhattan, this is that jogging path. we've seen die-hard joggers, even roller bladers, inline skaters right here. you what the roadways look like. thick snow falling down now. thin at times. it was light. now it is falling down thick. you can see that the pavement is wet. we want to zoom into that highway sign right there. this is the message from mayor bloomberg. it is a highway sign seen everywhere, roadways and highways across new york city. avoid unnecessary travel.

heavy snow expected. the message from the city is if you can avoid unnecessary travel, do it. also, make sure that you have important supplies on hand like medicine. if you can, go to the gas station. also, stock up on food. outages out here in the city of new york, possibly a foot of snow could fall on us. and it started snowing about an hour and 15 minutes ago. tomorrow morning. back to you, matt and savannah. >> katherine creag, thank you so much. >> the area is going to come to a standstill, but some things will go on as planned. justin bieber, by the way, is scheduled to host "saturday night live" tomorrow night here in new york city but you imagine a lot of snow would keep people away. no. willie geist is on line, waiting to see justin bieber, with other die hards. >> i'm right outside your window on 49th street. we're used to seeing people camp out for snl coming in and out of our building here, but this

takes it to a new level. these people know there is a foot of snow coming and they are still in line under these heaps of blankets and sleeping bags. you can see a couple of feet. that's about t at least four people asleep right here. some of them, though, have woken up. this is ashley and sabrina. you say you're going to ride out this storm to see the biebs. how come? >> i'm a big fan of snl and my roommate is a big fan of justin bieber, so we're here, doing this. >> you do know a foot of snow is coming this afternoon? >> yeah. >> doesn't bother you? >> nope. i've done this before. and this is probably the worst i've done this. >> what do you do for food? how will you eat for the next 24 hours? >> we'll take shifts, go get food, come back and forth. we have some stuff packed. i think we'll be okay. >> have you prepared for the possibility that the snow is going to get so heavy that you may actually have to go home? >> no. >> yeah. we're here already, so might as well just continue.

>> i think a lot of people out here, guys, are hoping that mr. bieber himself may stop by this line. it has become something of a tradition. sometimes the host comes out here. by the way, this is the standby line. there's no guarantee that any of these people will get nsnl has said they will release their standby tickets earlier tonight. they usually do it on saturday morning, so hopefully will get some of these people inside. these are the hardest of the hard core justin bieber fans. >> tell them about the 30-mile-an-hour wind gusts. >> oh, yeah. we'll talk about that later. >> willie geist across the street. let's check in with al roker, tracking the storm from boston this morning. he has more on what to expect. we know boston's really going to get it. >> that's right. good news for some of those folks, i bet you there will be a lot of cancellations for "saturday night live," folks who won't be able to get in. in fact, you guys were supposed to go to chicago for our friday field trips and you kind of got snowed out from bad weather in chicago. that was part of the clipper coming in here. let's look and show you what we've got going on the next 72

hours. starting with today, we are going to see -- or saturday, we're going to see that storm system still dumping blizzard-like conditions along the new england coastline. we've got a risk of severe weather in central texas. snow over the rockies. sunny and cool along the california coast. then on sunday, sunday, we expect to see plenty of sunshine along the eastern seaboard, nemo as they're calling it on the weather channel. blizzard nemo will have moved out. sunny and cold on the east coast. lot of rain from the great lakes. unseasonably cool but sunny down through southern california. ut >> good morning. a big storm developing. two different low pressure systems merge offshore.

>> and that's your latest weather. the good news, matt and savannah, they will have the snow cleared in time for your friday field trip here next week. >> we're looking forward to that, al. that's good news. thank you very much. >> did al just break some news? yes, we're coming to boston next friday. >> exactly right. al, thanks. coming up, does your relationship pass the normal test? and what is normal for happy couples? the new survey revealing some surprising secrets. and the man who was living rent free in a florida mansion forced to move out this morning. house party's over. we'll tell you about that, right after this. [ male announcer ] playing in the nfl is tough. ♪ doing it with a cold, just not going to happen.

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back now at 7:40 with new information this morning on the south florida man who was living in a multimillion dollar mansion for free. it was all legal, but now it's all over. julia baggs from wjtv in florida has the information. >> reporter: people here are feeling relief this morning. the man who found a way to move into this mansion in a well-to-do neighborhood without buying or renting it is gone. andre barbosa, south florida's most infamous squatter, is squatting no more. >> very complex situation. >> reporter: it was good while it lasted for barbosa. since christmas, the 23-year-old has been living in this 7,500

square foot foreclosed, $2.5 million waterside mansion in boca raton, florida. while he was living the dream, foest posting his thoughts about living in the mansion, neighbors were living a nightmare. >> he's a squatter. that can pull a neighborhood down faster than anything. >> reporter: attorneys, police, and bankers from bank of america, which owned the property, swooped in. >> after extensive legal research we determined there was a basis to conduct an investigation. that's all we needed. >> reporter: that investigation found there was reason to believe that barbosa was trespassing. even though he wasn't there at the time, locks were changed, possessions inside the house were removed and he was formally evicted. neighbors were thrilled. >> yes, i'm very relieved. very much. now -- i don't think he'll come back. >> reporter: using an obscure real estate law called adverse

possession. when a neighbor came suspicious and went over, he found several people inside and asked one what was going on. >> he said i'm here to assess this building, to establish -- i said what? >> he said, yeah, embassy for our mission. >> reporter: when two people show showed up, covering up the license plate for their car, neighbors had enough. they're just happy everyone is gone. >> i'm old school. it's not moral or ethical what they're doing. they're taking advantage of the system. that's not the way i was brought up. that's not the way people in this neighborhood are brought up. >> reporter: bank of america released a statement saying it appreciates the patience of neighbors as it worked to have the trespassers removed. andre barbosa could not be released for comment but police tell us he's not facing any charges. >> julia bagg, thank you. silence is golden but can you find it in the digital age? the story right after this.

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before you get in your car, we have a sneak peek of the automobile that will be coming soon to a showroom near you. kevin tibbles is at the 2013 chicago auto show. this is a dream come true. i love that thing. take it away. >> reporter: matt, there is no better way to beat the gray, february blues than a trip to see all the colors here at the chicago auto show. i mean, check it out. it's the largest, longest-running auto show in no north mencamerica. kick a few tires and dream. high-quality imports, stylish domestics. the tiny through the tremendous. all here for the public to savor

and, most importantly, discover. ford's innovation for the american family? wave your foot to open the back cargo door. >> voila. what prevents some random person from coming up and opening this door? >> you do have to have the key faub on you. >> reporter: made in the u.s.a. and available at the end of the year. this is where you plug in the cadillac. the knock on volkswagen beetle was that only women liked its rounded shape. this does not look like your dead's beetle. now it's sleeked down and souped up. so it's really shnell. >> it can be. >> it's swell and shnell. and that means fast. test out the latest four-wheel drives. i asked the folks at jeep for the keys to a brand new car. this is all they trust me with.

more than a million square feet of innovation to see and sit in, you can really workup an appetite. fortunately, today's car can really take care of that too. i'm hungry. >> where would you like to search? >> reporter: bacon and eggs. they may still have four wheels but they've also got brains. and, guys, with the kind of weather that you're talking about out your way, perhaps this is the kind of thing -- oops. this is the kind of thing that you should be looking at. put a plow on the front and make a few bucks on the side. >> we could use that right now. >> you missed a spot, tibbs. >> here is a question. when was the last time you sat down, turned off everything around you and enjoyed the silence? >> if you're like most people these days, it's been a while. jenna wolfe is here with why that is. good morning. >> good morning, you guys. here is the deal.

we're so tuned in, logged in, pl plugged in, there's little wiggle room for quiet time. we try. believe me, we try. but we're constantly battling some sort of beep, honk, buzz, ding or ridiculous ring tone. is it too late to go back in quiet time? that's what we wanted to find out. the sound of silence just ain't what it used to be. >> you can't find a moment of silence because frankly they're not there unless we create them. we're so used to noise or interruptions that we haven't realized what we're missing. >> reporter: what we are missing is some peace and quiet. and, according to professor of sociology, kenneth gould, there are a few reasons why the search might be in vain. >> before we all had cable tv, tv used to go off at night. they would play the national anthem and it would stop. 30 years ago, we didn't have the internet and so shopping stopped

when the stores closed. we have 24-hour shopping and 24-hour entertainment. and all of those things come with a lot of sound. >> reporter: these days it's even hard to find quiet in the quiet places. >> with jet skis on the lake, the lake is not a quiet lake anymore. with atvs on the trail, the trail is not a quiet place anymore either. >> reporter: do we even hear the noise anymore as a society or are we just so used to it? >> we've retreated into our own private sound escapes. we create other noise to escape the noise. >> reporter: and we're constantly being asked to shhh. we get it. we're loud. about to get on a train where there are actually quiet cars. is it as quiet as advertised ? >> it's supposed to be like a library.

you have people who feel like they're entitled to have a conversation at a certain decibel. >> reporter: he e-mailed us this picture shortly after our interview of a person next to him on his phone. so, can the noise all around us be bad for our health? >> first thing, of course, is hearing loss. but over time, it can make your blood pressure go up, heart rate go up and lead to sleep disturbance. >> reporter: the doctor took me into a sound proof room. >> in here when it's quiet you're starting off at 35 decibels but how high would it get in a crowded restaurant? >> around 95. a jet is around 140 decibels, lawn mower is around 95. an ipod can go up to 110 decibels. >> really? >> you can do a lot of damage to your ear when you're listening to your ipod at high volumes. >> grachlt all this talk about

not talking made me want to take a break from talking in the first place. as they say, silence is golden. my gosh, it's been forever. how are you? i know. no, i'm just at the library. it's all good. and today is the perfect day to embrace the quiet in the northeast. snow. will any of us do it? probably not. the phone will ring, the tv will be on. we're incapable of it. >> for a story about quiet and silence, that was the loudest piece we've seen in a long time. >> i didn't stop talking throughout the whole piece. there is a certain irony. >> two things. hang around. two things people are talking about this morning, the blizzard, obviously, and also the kiss. >> this happened. >> this happened yesterday on our air in the third hour of our show, a kiss between lie geist and al roker. one was peaches, the other was herb. >> no, cream. >> sorry, cream. >> that was lip gloss.

>> reunited. willie, what kind of response have you got? >> a gentleman never kisses and tells except the one million people that saw that. one word that comes to mind is pillowy when it comes to al roker's lips. >> al, care to respond? >> he has very velvety lips. >> pillowy, velvety, okay. you guys, get a six pack and enjoy the storm, all right? but you did get a lot of response. >> we did hear a lot about it. more after your local news. . it's more than being glamorous, or tall. it's not all about who sparkles the most. or who is the best dressed. what nature really cares about is what you have to offer. like the stevia plant. small and humble with a surprising secret to share... sweetness. truvia sweetener. zero-calorie sweetness, born from the stevia leaf. from nature, for sweetness.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell. >> new accidents come in, they just keep coming in. dealing with delays. another accident of note in parksville. 22 minutes to get you through the outer loop north side. three-minute travel time on the outer loop. just past the york road exit, we have an accident in the median south. now, but again, all lanes of

travel are open. delays in the southbound direction on 295. traffic is backing up all the way towards 175. john has a look at your forecast. >> clouds and rain in the area. heaviest rain is south of glass. on the northwest and north edge of this, and the wintry mix in there is likely as well. most of the ares just got rain. cooler to the north, and warmer to the south. humidity is up near 97%. forecast in the upper 30's to near 40 for the hybr -- high. as we go to the end of the da y,

switching to snow. we could accumulate several inches of snow. high in the 30's.

8:00 now on a friday morning, the 8th day of februar. this will be the date we mark in our calendars and say this is the date that the blizzard of 2013 hit much of the northeast. th got kind of changeable weather conditions in new york. snowing kind of hard minutes ago. seems to be changing over to a wintry mix. that should not fool you. it is all going to turn to snow later on in new york, connecticut, rhode island, massachusetts, maine, all those areas. it's going to be a major, major storm. i'm matt lauer, along with savannah guthrie, here on the

plaza. >> downright plushy in new york city. al is up in boston. we should mention, we were supposed to be in chicago this morning. >> yes. >> very much looking forward to being on michigan avenue and seeing our friends. but had to stay here because of the weather. we will make it up to you, chicago. >> very sorry. >> we'll be in boston next friday. >> al kind of let that drop a second ago. thanks, al. hopefully, the snow will be gone by that time. we'll check in with al in a couple of minutes. meanwhile, we've got this survey on what is the new normal in happy couples. >> exactly. a woman who wanted to find out what do happy couples do? what do they get right? she ended up doing a survey of 75,000 people, asking themselves very personal questions. we'll have the results of that survey. they're surprising. if you want to get on today.com, we posted some of those same

questions. >> by the way, the in the process, the woman who wrote this said it actually saved her own marriage. that's a good testimonial. if your children are fans of the group one direction, we've got a sneak peek at their new movie. all right. we've all heard about these memorable public service announcements, friends don't let friends drive drunk or a mind is a terrible thing to waste. we've decided to do something interesting around here. we've all picked an issue -- >> right. >> shot a public service announcement. we'll bring them to you all next week. it's a fascinating story and familiar way to raise awareness about these issues. these are real public service announcements that we're working with the ad council and they will air. >> i did one on the purpose of fatherhood involvement. "today" takes action starts monday right here. let's start inside with natalie and a check of all the headlines. >> good morning, matt and savannah. good morning, everyone. schools are cancelled and hundreds of flights have been

canceled. this storm has drawn a lot of attention to the european model, which has been more accurate than the american version in projecting the path of storms. we asked nbc's tom costello in washington to find out why. good morning, tom. >> reporter: hi, natalie. good morning to you. it all comes down to computing power. europeans and americans are using the same science, same mathematical equations, but the europeans are constantly monitoring the atmospheric conditions while the american model is taking periodic snapshots. it was hurricane sandy that really pointed out the difference between the european and american models. al roker saw a full week before the storm hit the european model was predicting a devastating blow to new york and new jersey. >> the european model keeps it hugging the coast and by early tuesday morning, it's inland in

the northeast. >> reporter: four days before landfall, the u.s. model finally agreed with the european model. now, a crippling blizzard predicted for new england. >> easily boston, a foot will be on the low end of your accumulation. >> reporter: and, again, the european model was three days ahead of the u.s. in predicting this storm's path. >> we've got a developing clipper over the plains, a lot of wet weather through the gulf. these two systems will phase together or merge. the european model forms this storm closer to shore. >> reporter: the new director of the national weather service is well aware. >> we have a very good numerical model, but there are modeling systems in the world that are considered better than ours. >> reporter: why is the european system more accurate? experts say because it is constantly slicing the world's atmosphere into very small grids, then analyzing data like temperature readings, pressure, sbhumtd wind changes and the european super computer is far

more powerful, running 100 forecasting models a day, compared to 84 on the u.s. computer. there a . >> there are two parts to the modeling process, running the ooh equations and slicing the atmosphere. the second is taking all the data around the world and putting it into the model to start off in the first place. >> reporter: the u.s. is upgrading its computer system in the fall. even then it still won't be as powerful as the european system. now the good news is that the u.s., europe, canada and the uk, we all share all of this data. we're all benefiting from each other's data and satellite information, but we are still lagging behind the european system right now. natalie? >> very interesting. tom costello in washington, thanks so much. police searched a california ski community overnight for the former los angeles cop and navy reservist suspected of killing three people, including a police officer. christopher dorner's burned-out truck and footprints were found thursday in southern california's big bear mountain.

dorner, fired for making false statements, is taking revenge. touching off a social media blizzard. people are tweeting about everything from their first snowflake sightings to canceled sporting events and their hopes for a snow day, excuse me, off from school. transportation websites are also buzzing as commuters try to find out if their trains and buses are running. got my voice back. this video might show the worst wedding proposal ever gives new meaning to falling in love. take a look. >> bobby, the ring. >> oh, my god! >> are you kidding me? split screen replay shows the young lady's stunned reaction here. we predict never a dull moment

in that marriage, that's for sure. and given their treatment to ky, the hitchhiker. >> two women are trying to help him. that guy could snap a woman's neck like a pencil stick. i ran up behind him with a hatchet. smash, smash, smash! ♪ grabbed one of them so i ran up behind with a hatchet smash smash smash ♪ >> and like a true superhero ky has internet fans guessing as his true identity remains shrouded. let's go back to al again with a check of your weather. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with k.

>> the clipper that will cause all of our snow has been wreaking havoc in michigan. take a look at detroit, michigan. some areas picking up 15" of snow, traffic moving pretty well there. as we get going into what's happening here in the northeast, the clipper combines with moisture from the south and we are going to be looking at blizzard warnings from new york city all the way up into coastal new england, back to the west through new york state, upstate, on into interior new england, we are going to be looking at winter storm warnings. blizzard criteria, visibilities a quarter mile, strong winds and heavy snow. look at these snowfall amounts. new york city up to a foot of snow. but along the coast, from rhode island all the way up into new england, we are looking at anywhere from 18" to 24" of snow and a bullseye of two feet or more right around boston. >> good morning.ing on

we are getting the rain right now. new england gets most of the snow. mostly >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you so much. when we come back, where does your relationship fall on the scale of the new normal, from trust to money to sex? we'll reveal the surprising secrets of happy couples. and we'll have your favorite videos of the week. first, these messages. hey, there's a photo booth. come on! okay, we gotta time this just right. okay. ready... mm-hmm. happy valentine's day. [ female announcer ] the charmed memories collection

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highlights from a survey. >> the survey was inspired from a woman who wanted to save her own marriage and set out to find answers about what real couples may really look like. the results may make you blush, make you wonder if you really know the person lying in bed next to you. >> so what do you think, should we have sex tonight? >> uggh, sounds awful. i'm just really constipated. do you really want to? >> well now. >> reporter: if you can relate to this scene from the hit comedy "knocked up" you're not alone. but losing the romance in your marriage is no joke. >> i just felt like we weren't really happy anymore. we were just survival mode instead of being happy. >> reporter: this 41-year-old married mother of three says after 15 years of marriage, things were falling apart.

khrysanna and her husband mark, were doing couples therapy. it wasn't working and she moved out. >> i didn't want just we're okay. i wanted i'm happy. so i started out to search what were happy couples doing? what could we learn from them? >> reporter: launching an online survey, gathering responses from almost 100,000 people around the world. her answers are revealed in her new book called "the normal bar." happiest couple ranks communication as the most fulfilling thing about their relationship. followed by friendship, affection and sex. parenting ranked dead last. in fact, khrysanna says it was at the root problem of her marriage. >> i would rush and make him dinner every night. he said i don't care about dinner but when i walk in the door i do care about you giving me a big hug and a kiss.

i thought that's easy. i'm off the hook. >> reporter: she and mark began talking again as she compiled data for the book. >> did this book save your marriage? >> the concepts in the book saved our marriage for sure. >> absolutely. >> the book and the whole process of the book was pretty therapeutic for us and pretty fun for us. >> and one of the steamier results from the survey, a majority of respondents said they want more fantasy in their relationship. in other words, more "fifty shades of grey" and less predictability. >> that will entice everyone to stick around. you'll have more on "rock center with brian williams" i know tonight at 9:00, 10:00 central here on nbc. more on the results of the survey and the women behind "the normal bar" after this. right now? yeah go hide. go on buddy. one, two... [ son ] come and find me!

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happy. the results of a couple of surveys, these ladies' survey and our online survey about some rather intimate subjects. we're joined now by chrisanna northrup and pepper schwartz, authors of "the normal bar." some people might be watching and saying who are these two to tell me what's normal? how do you find normal? >> not 98.6. it's your normal. if my normal is brushing my teeth once a day and yours is twice a day, maybe we just want to take a look at which normal is good for teeth. >> but this is the normal for people who tend to show that they can stay happy over a long period of time? >> we look at the whole continuum, but we're especially interested in those people who are extremely happy. what's their normal and how should we emulate it? >> let's dive right into it. the first question is a doozy. how often do you have sex? your survey, 7.5% said daily. we want to know where they live. 40% said three to four times a week.

27% said a handful of times a month and you see the rest of the results there. what did you find was the optimum time? what is the normal for a happy couple? >> three to four times a week. what we also looked at is not just going through the actions, but the quality of that. there's a big difference being in a relationship where you're happy, okay, and you're having sex and it's all good than when you're extremely happy having sex that many times, which is a totally different ballpark. that's what we really liked. >> we look at affectionate behaviors and how those correlated to sexual satisfaction frequently. these people call each other pet names, they cuddle. they hold hands. >> if you're sitting at home right now and couples are watching this saying we do not have sex three to four times a week, one of the suggestions you have for people to try to increase the frequency of sex is sleep in the nude more often. what did your survey tell you about that? >> not enough people were doing

it. >> no. >> we had 28%, 30% of the people sleeping in the nude. when you look at the happiest couples, they were really sleeping in the nude. they knew what they were doing. >> women say yes, can we put that graphic back up? we had a fwrask up that said women say they sleep in the nude 34% of the time, men say yes 38% of the time. >> we asked our viewers this morning, 76% of our views do sleep in the nude. >> happier couples are. >> 75% of the happy couples sleep in the nude. >> i don't want to spend a lot of time on this. it's a morning show. you ask people, by the way, about the use of pornography in their relationship. why did you decide to go there? >> we think it's been sort ofville of vil villainized. it doesn't have a negative affect on the relationship. we're not talking about addicted to it. we're talking about joint use or individual use. >> this is key, you asked do you

trust your partner? 39% of women said they did, compared with 53% of men. that's an interesting difference. 75% of men and 71% of women acknowledge they have lied at some point to their partner. >> we looked more into white lies, big lies. we really wanted to dive into that question a little bit more. 50% of the men said they lie about where they go sometimes. and women do it, too. >> what do you make about that gender difference, pepper, men more trusting of their wives than vice versa. >> we have a lot of data to show that maybe women should be a little less trusting. we don't have enough time to go into it, but, in fact, there are things that are going on in people's minds. for example, i was very surprised at how many people, happy people thought of breaking up. i think there's a lot going on sometimes, that people are sensing and feeling. >> is that about fantasy or is that just about not being happy with your lot in life?

>> i think you're evaluate re-evaluating all the time. even happy couples think about it. there are things i think people haven't gotten out in the open and that changes the trust issue. i think men are more trusting than women. >> let's get to the inner section of trust and the digital age. have you read your partner's e-mail without your partner knowing it, obviously? 54% of women said yes, they have. 49% of men said yes. any surprise in those nuchl numo you? >> there was a big surprise. we had an open-ended question with that. what was interesting about that is that men were saying -- and women, that if they found their partner reading their e-mail, they would break up with them. there's definitely -- if you don't feel trustworthy and you catch your partner reading, you're in big trouble. >> you look at our survey here. today.com survey, 51% of people who responded said yes, they had read their partner's e-mail, 49% said no. split pretty much right down the

middle. >> we're hitting all kinds of -- quarter of the people said they don't discuss earnings with their spouse, 60% of childless partners have separate bank accounts, 33% of long-term couples have separate accounts and 62% of couples said they have equal access to accounts. how important is it to be open about your finances? >> extremely important. there's social change going on, though. used to be everybody put their money together. now we're seeing it's one of those things that's voluntary. you may or may not. if you don't put it together, you actually have fewer arguments. >> this is going to spark a conversation at dinner tables and breakfast tables all around the country. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> now we'll get a check of your local news.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> a few new ones coming in to us. you can see delays i-95 to and from 100 and also on 100. oakley and taylor avenue, watch for crash. ebenezer and honeygo, watch for continued closures. 27 on the north side, 37 on the outer loop.

still an accident with a truck involving a median. that is the latest from traffic pulse 11. >> rainy morning this morning in town. temperatures above freezing, 27 degrees downtown. low pressure near the great lakes, and they merge after they pass us. it looks like snow for us. mostly grain out during the day -- mostly rain during the day. primarily this is a rainmaker. overnight, it could convert to a period of generally light snow. maybe an inch or two in some areas. then the sun starts to break through and it will be windy

tomorrow. . sunday, 44 the high. monday, the next system should be a rainmaker. >> back with another update at 8:56.

huge fan. look where we are. >> the trouble with travel is missing home and missing family but we've become literally like brothers now. >> where he is in the world. >> become now at 8:30 on this friday morning, february 8th, 2013. i can hear the squeals now. that is the world premiere sneak peek at 1d in 3-d.

from the hottest act on the planet, heading to theaters. lot of kids will be dragging the parents to that one. >> you could say that. i looked and thought maybe there was a piece of footage from an appearance they had here. i'm not sure. looked familiar. maybe, maybe not. >> we'll have to see on august 30th. i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer, willie geist and natalie morales. al roker is in boston and will have a look at the forecast in just a moment. what was your favorite video of the week? we have some lined up for you on "today's" top clicks. >> i love that one. are you thinking about selling your home but aren't sure what repairs to make? we'll tell you the five things you can do to give you the biggest bang for your buck. first, we want to check in with al up in boston. good morning. what are you seeing? >> right now, we've got a few flakes falling, but nothing too

horrible. but by 11:00 or so, we should see the snow coming down a little more regularly. and by 3:00, we will really be into this. and a full-blown blizzard here in boston by 7:00 tonight. things will get going in new york a little bit earlier. already seeing activity. let's show you what we're looking for as far as the weekend is concerned. starting off with tomorrow. again, blizzard conditions along the new england coast. today, we are looking at snow developing along the northeast coast into inland sections as well. look for wet weather, windy conditions through southern california. clouds in the pacific northwest. tomorrow, a risk of strong storms in central texas. look for snow in the rockies. the blizzard continues in the northeast in new england. sunday, sunday, we expect things to clear out. it will be nice and clear up and down the east coast. but as you get to the ohio river valley, mississippi river valley, it will be wet. in the gulf we'll be looking at severe weather. sunny and cold in the pacific

northwest. snow in the rockies. sunny and >> good morning. a big storm developing. two different low pressure systems merge offshore. >> we would love to see your weather pictures in your area, as long as you're safe. please tweet your pictures to #n #nbcnewspics. and we'll get as many of them on our twitter feed as soon as you

send them in. guys, back to you. >> part of that sentence was in english. i don't know. time for "today's" top clicks where you vote for your favorite video of the week. willie is here. >> click number one is our winner from last week. drum roll, please. some of us are rooting for this one. pep talk from kid president. >> what will you create that will make the world awesome? nothing just sitting there. that's why i'm tag to you today. this is your time. this is my time. it's our time! >> that is robby novak, third grader from tennessee. a great kid. he makes these videos with his brother-in-law. last check, been viewed more than 8.5 million times. >> close to voting or did he kind of crush the competition? >> he crushed this week, but he has really good competition coming up the week ahead.

click number two, proof that gangnam style, that fad alive and well, at least among the baby set. ♪ >> the kid goes from sound asleep? >> yes. it's pavlovian. that's amia. every time she hears "gangnam style" she snaps to life as if out of hypnosis. and the best part of that is her big sister next to her. city workers in teleaveev, israel, painted handicapped parkings around a parked car. she did track down the security

footage. city officials did issue an apology and waived the woman's fine. i certainly hope so. >> to me this is not a great video, it's just an outrageous story. >> it is. it is. >> last but not least, here on thursday, 2-year-old basketball phenom, and amazing talent for sinking trick shots. all types of hoops, all distances, off the wall. you saw him live. he can pull it off live. this is not just good editing. he can do this. >> i love this. >> any favorites on the panel here? >> gangnam style. >> we're not supposed to influence our viewers. >> no, but sometimes we just have to speak out. >> i like gangnam style. >> it's cute. >> kid president, gangnam baby, parked car and trick shots. we'll reveal, perhaps, a new winner or repeat winner next

friday. >> thank you for that, willie. i know you'll be spending all weekend tabulating the vote. >> i am. >> we'll be back. first this is "today" on nbc. >> we'll be back. first♪ ooh baby, looks likec. you need a little help there ♪

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we're back at 8:39. we all know that music has the power to bring people together in a lot of different ways. this morning, nbc's andrea mitchell has the story of extraordinary young musicians from a place you might not expect. andrea, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. they come from a nation gripped by war and terrorism. boys and girls rarely play together and music was banned for years by the taliban. now with help from the state department, the world bank and other supporters, these young afghan children are enjoying a rare moment of harmony. 13-year-old leila zhari has been

waiting two years for this moment, the chance to perform on the world stage, while breaking another taliban taboo, girls and boys playing music together. which do you like better, the drums or the trumpet? which is more fun? >> the drums. >> reporter: the drums? she's one of 48 young musicians who attend the only music school in afghanistan. where music was strictly banned under taliban rule. many in the group are orphaned by war. some even lived on the streets. today they're nearly 7,000 miles from home, bringing traditional sound from their homeland. the tambor, meksed with western harmonies they're also learning. organizers hope the young musicians can learn about america and america can learn about afghanistan. music is making a comeback. >> the future of afghanistan,

where the children of the country are, the future and that hope is not dead. >> reporter: how does it feel to be playing your music here in america? he excels on an afghan instrument, the rubar, also met with the secretary of state, once a musician himself. >> when i was your age, i played in a rock band. >> reporter: their conductor, william harvey, juilliard trained violinist, has spent the last three years in kabul. >> i've taking masterpieces and added afghan melodys and folk songs. >> reporter: the group, rehearsing alongside a maryland youth orchestra, has done some improvisation of its own. >> we were playing "stairway to heaven" which we were both familiar with.

it was fun. >> coming here as been a fulfillment of a long time dream for us. the greatest reward is the smiles on these children's faces. >> reporter: next week after a lot of practice, you know the old joke, they're actually going to play at carnegie hall. matt? >> andrea mitchell, nice story. thank you very much. the five best bang for your buck home improvements and much more on a friday morning. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's" real estate, best bang for your buck when it comes to home improvement. if you're getting ready to put your house on the market and thinking of doing some repairs, what's really worth the money? barbara corcoran is "today's" real estate contributor. good morning. >> good morning to you, savannah. >> the housing market is picking up. people are thinking about this. are there general rules about improvements before you put your

house up for sale? >> you want to spend the least you can on the improvements that make the most sense because you'll never get your money back. >> the pound for pound bang for your buck. >> best way of putting it. >> doll up the door. >> it's like dolling up yourself. you want to make the first impression count. pull up to the front of your own house, get out of that car and do the 20-second test. walk up the walkway, make a note of everything wrong. here is a house that is am meticulous condition. why? it creates a great first impression, clean as a whistle, small house but looks totally charming. >> we have pictures we'll be showing of good and bad. >> this house would look like a pile of bricks if they didn't paint that door that color. we have another one maybe, too. maybe not. >> if you see one that's a what not to do, slag it for us. >> i certainly will. >> paint inside and power wash the outside. >> make it look fresh.

you want to be after a fresh house. all it really needs is power washing and painting of the trim. bad first impression but sweetheart of a house. there's another one, a trim painting. that's all that house needs. >> they know to give it a fresh coat of paint. they may do just white. you say don't do that? >> no. take a trip to restoration hardware and see what the new hip colors are. see what the young buyers are into and imitate it. it's the easiest thing to do. great white room, by the way. >> that was a pretty one. little bit off white. >> white is the one you can always rely on. buyers always like white. >> here is one i would avoid. wash your windows. >> people don't see the dirt on their own windows yet the most important thing after location that buyers always cite as to why they picked a particular house is light. they lift it up and oh, my gosh, it actually is a bright room,

could be a bright room. this is a beautiful window. the next one is very beautiful, too. clean as a whistle. >> you say you should also swap out your fix turs. that's a good trick. >> fixtures date a home. lamp shades freeze your house in time, make it look like 1960s when you actually bought the fixtu fixture. there's a kitchen -- if you had a modern fixture in there, it would make all the difference than doing nothing else. there is another one, those top hates. that's a 1950s funky kitchen. it could look like a retro, hip kitchen if it had a modern light fixture in that ceiling. modern light fixtures, what a difference it makes in that kitchen. one more beautiful light fixtures that says, hey, i'm up to the minute. i'm in style. >> i like that. don't forget the garage. wait, that's where you put all the stuff when you clean the house. >> not when it comes time to sell. people can't see the space. paint the floors, paint the walls and paint the trim and the

front door in the garage. >> you have tips of what is not worth it. >> four big mistakes people make. skip the new edition. it rarely pays off. don't put in a home office. you eliminate a bedroom. it's a bad idea and never pays you back. worst selling colors, white or yellow. don't put in a swimming pool unless you're prepared to lose the money when you sell. >> what i like about you, you take a position. don go paint that house red. thank you.

back now at 8:50. grio.com, division of nbc news, is celebrating black history month by highlighting 100 people doing good things. the spotlight this morning is on car driver antron brown. >> drag racing is a lot more diverse with several women and hispanic drivers as well. antron brown is its first african-american champion. when he talks about his sport, his eyes light up, his lips move fast because his childhood dream has become his life's passion. antron brown started on his road to championship early. >> i was changing oil in my mom's car at 12 years old.

my dad and uncle, they raced. it was bred in me. that's where the love came from. i used to go to these big, national events and watch all my stars race. >> reporter: now he is one of those stars. >> brought a tear to my eye when i won the championship to hear my father broken up, like emotional and saying, son, do you realize this is what i've been dreaming about my whole life and we're living our dream through you? >> reporter: in november, brown became the national hot rod association's top fuel champ and made history. how many trophies do you have? >> 38 including the championship trophy. >> the championship trophy, i'm going to assume, is this massive one right here. >> that's the big one right there. >> reporter: the first african-american to ever win a major auto racing title in the united states. you're running out of space. >> i'm going to have to build some different walls.

>> reporter: when are you going to stop? >> that's not in our vocabulary. >> reporter: 25-foot long hot rods run on a fuel that's mostly nitroglycerin and can hit top speeds of 130 miles an hour. >> it feels like someone is pushing and squeezing the lif out of you and you're just trying to maintain and hold everything you've got to keep it right. >> reporter: tv audience has grown, drag racing has not caught up with its southern-b e southern-based cousin, nascar. >> pass down the racetrack is four seconds. in nascar it's a three-hour race. >> reporter: something brown is the well-needed, fresh face to help grow the sport. >> the media is attracted to him, the fans are attracted to him. he's really a star in the making. >> want your dad to make a wheelie? >> reporter: that's good. antron brown remembers when the days are not so bright.

>> the days you're close to being like almost $1 million in debt and you don't even have a house to live in. >> reporter: now he and his wife, billie jo, have a full house outside indianapolis. how proud of him are you? >> now here i will go with tears. >> reporter: oh, no. >> sometimes it turns people into different people. they cannot remain true to themselves and they don't remain the same, and he does. >> reporter: the champ refills his own tank and takes time to teach wanna-be racers. >> you're all good. >> reporter: let me tell you something. so brown thinks with that car and that team he can win again, in fact. short-term goal is to win more championships. eventually, though, he would

like to make more history by owning his own race team, savannah. >> he's pretty amazing. did you actually drive or just got in for show? >> yeah, yeah. >> craig melvin, thanks so much. great story. >> savannah, thanks. we'll have al's updated forecast on the blizzard, tracking the storm throughout the day. we'll be live with the latest tomorrow morning on "today.." >> certainly something you want to keep track of on the weather channel as well. "today's" friday flashback. a look at how the week unfolded right here on "today." >> dramatic new developments in that hostage standoff in alabama. >> fbi somehow managed to get a secret camera inside that bunk er. and that's how they decided to move in. >> reporter: the president will largely focus his attention on immigration reform and deficit reduction exactly one week ahead of his state of the union address. a tragic story. new details on the death of a new york city mom murdered in turkey. >> she was supposed to come back and she didn't.

>> they must have luck on their side. ste stephen and terri weaver were on a weekend getaway and returned with two lottery tickets. are you kidding me? >> couldn't believe we won twice. couldn't believe we had won as much as we did. >> jesse, will you come out? >> a gentleman never kisses and tells. >> pucker up. all right. >> loser pays up. boy, is al roker paying right now. >> here's what's happening in your neck of the -- your neck of the woods. >> l.a. reid, the music mogul and jennifer hudson. >> katharine mcphee is inside our studio warm and toasty. >> you remember her, tiffani thiess thiessen, of "saved from the bell." >> john harbaugh is with us from new orleans. >> we were watching your show in the room. you guys do a great job. we love your show.

>> yes, there are men on trampolines behind me. >> we welcome you to our winter wonderland, mt. rockefeller, here in the heart of new york city. >> natalie, congratulations. she scaled a 1,576 steps. >> very impressive. >> while natalie was doing that, savannah was walking the runway. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >>. good. i am mindy basara. a massive fraud settlement is ccosting the parent company of st. joseph medical center millions of dollars.

it reportedly admitted patients and a case where they did not need to remain at the hospital.

>> rain, clouds this morning, maybe a little snow on the outer fringes of the storm. these two parts merge later today but the storm has passed us by then. [ male announcer ] so there's lots of people out there

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